Maya angelou biography summary of 10

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Maya Angelou early life was filled with difficulties. She published this work in 1969 and she became the first African American woman nonfiction bestseller. Angelou began writing poetry during her teenage years and won the Watts Notebook poetry contest.

Legacy: Maya Angelou Quarter and More

In November 2020, the San Francisco Arts Commission unanimously approved the recommendation for a sculpture honoring Angelou “in recognition of her many accomplishments, including breaking the color and gender barriers by becoming San Francisco’s first African-American female streetcar conductor, an award-winning author and poet, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and a civil rights leader.”

The monument is in development by artist Lava Thomas and scheduled to be installed in fall 2024 outside the main branch of the San Francisco Library.

There she was working as an editor and a freelance writer. Maya Angelou has an elder brother, named Bailey. I like to be beautiful because it delights my eyes and my soul is lifted up.

  • You may not control the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
  • When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
  • Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.

    Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman. The success of the book earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and subsequently she maintained her extraordinary publication and performance career, spreading her inspiring words and activism for civil rights.

    Maya Angelou’s Activism

    Angelou was a strong advocate for civil rights, as she believed that everyone deserved equal opportunities and respect.

    Bailey gave Marguerite the nickname “Maya,” which she would adopt as her preferred name later in life.

    As an African American, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas. The first shipments of the coin were made in January 2022. She was 86 years old. She got an Emmy Award nomination in 1977 for her work on the television miniseries Roots.

    Angelou also worked at the University of Ghana for short periods of time. 

    While she was living in Ghana, she joined hands with the community of "Revolutionist Returnees”  for exploring pan-Africanism. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio version of “On the Pulse of Morning.”

    Other well-known poems by Angelou include “His Day Is Done,” a 1962 tribute poem Angelou wrote for Nelson Mandela as he made his secret journey from Africa to London, and “Amazing Peace,” which she wrote in 2005 for the White House tree-lighting ceremony.

    Books

    In addition to her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs and even cookbooks.

    If you learn, teach.

  • In the flush of love’s light, we dare to be brave, and suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be.

    In 1995, Angelou was lauded for remaining on The New York Times’ paperback nonfiction bestseller list for two years, the longest-running record in the chart’s history at the time.

    Related Stories

    Gather Together in My Name

    Angelou’s follow-up to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, this 1974 memoir covers her life as an unemployed teenage mother in California, when she turned to narcotics and prostitution.

    Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas

    Angelou wrote this autobiography, published in 1976, about her early career as a singer and actor.

    The Heart of a Woman

    Angelou crafted this 1981 memoir about leaving California with her son for New York, where she took part in the Civil Rights Movement.

    All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes

    A lyrical exploration about what it means to be an African American in Africa, this autobiographical book was published in 1986 and covers the years Angelou spent living in Ghana.

    Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now

    This inspirational essay collection from 1994 features Angelou’s insights about spirituality and living well.

    A Song Flung Up to Heaven

    Another autobiographical work, A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002) explores Angelou’s return from Africa to the United States and her ensuing struggle to cope with the devastating assassinations of two human rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

    King was killed on Angelou’s 40th birthday, leading the author to stop celebrating her birthday for years afterward. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and her child.

    Around this time, Maya moved to San Francisco and won a scholarship to study dance and acting at the California Labor School.

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    maya angelou biography summary of 10